KUALA LUMPUR: The Sexual Harassment Bill 2021 has been tabled in the Dewan Raykat on Wednesday (Dec 15) by the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry.

       Deputy Minister Datuk Siti Zailah Mohd Yusoff tabled the Bill for its first reading and informed Dewan Rakyat Deputy Speaker Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said that the Bill would be read for the second time when Parliament reconvened next year.

       Siti Zailah then added at a later press conference that the Bill was aimed at plugging loopholes in existing laws on sexual harassment while improving the legal process in dealing with such cases.

       "The development of the proposed law is important to show that sexual harassment is a violation of human rights and a form of physical violence towards gender," she said.

       Siti Zailah added that one of the main elements of the new law was defining sexual harassment offences.

       "The scope of the law will apply to sexual harassment at the workplace and other locations," she said.

       She also said that a tribunal would be set up to deal with cases of sexual harassment.

       "Also crucial is that the standard of proof of evidence will be based on the balance of probability," added Siti Zailah